After screening more than 9,000 passengers from 42 flights, the Centre on Wednesday declared that no case of novel coronavirus has been reported in India, as of January 21. The novel coronavirus is a new strain of virus that has not been previously identified in humans.
“Till now, no case has been detected through these screening efforts. We are on alert and our preparedness is sturdy,” said Preeti Sudan, secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry has also issued an advisory for those travelling to and from China. Nine people in China have died due to the disease, despite efforts to control it. Over 400 people in China have been confirmed to have coronavirus pneumonia cases; one person has been affected in the US, too.
Sudan said that passengers travelling from China are being requested to report to the nearest public health facility if they feel any symptoms. The WHO is currently convening an emergency meeting on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to assess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern and recommend measures to contain it.
According to the WHO, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).The viruses circulate in animals including camels, cats and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can also evolve and infect people.
Symptoms depend on the strain of virus. However, common signs include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, it can cause pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome.
There is no specific treatment for disease caused by a novel coronavirus. However, many of the symptoms can be treated and, therefore, treatment is based on the patient’s clinical condition.
To protect oneself from the symptoms, the WHO recommends measures such as washing hands thoroughly, covering mouth and nose with a tissue or a sleeve or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing, avoiding close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs and avoiding unprotected contact with wild or farm animals.
The Union health ministry has instructed Airport Health Organizations at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin for screening of passengers coming from mainland China at these seven international airports. Signages have also been put up at prominent locations in these airports to encourage the public about self-reporting of illness. Immigration officers manning the counters have been sensitized at these airports.
The National Institute of Virology, Pune, is fully geared up to test samples of nCoV, the ministry said in a statement. Ten other laboratories under the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratories network are also equipped to test such samples, if a need arises.